Scars
by Ryojin
Summary: Ichigo lost all his powers after the winter war and is forced to live life as a normal human. He gets a job to get by but something happens that changes everything between the boss and employee.
1. Chapter 1

**AN I keep starting new fanfiction stories which is a problem. I do mean to update them but now I have too many in motion so it may take awhile. Also the reason why I did this was I think that this point in Ichigo's life was a little underrepresented in the story. Also even though it is a weird pairing I really like Ikumi x Ichigo but if you don't then I guess don't read this.**

 **I hope you enjoy the story and if you have any ideas just let me know R &R**

Ichigo was running for his life. With everything you have heard about his life you would assume it would be from a hollow or maybe a super powered traitorous soul reaper, but that is not what was going on. Unfortunately Ichigo's life had changed drastically since he lost his powers and no longer deals with those terrifying foes. He has to deal with one much worse.

Ichigo rounded the corner thinking he had lost his pursuer when he ran into a van. He fell back on the ground from the impact and locked up to see the driver of the van through the driver side window.

"Kid, why the do you think you can just skip out on work?" That's right. The woman was Ikumi Unagiya. She was a beautiful, raven-haired, 27 year old woman who ran an odd jobs company and Ichigo was her sole assistant who happens to have issues with showing up on time and she does not take it lightly.

"Ikumi-san, it's nice to see you. I was just on my way to work."

"That's what you were doing? See, I thought when you saw me outside your school waiting you ran for your life since you skipped worked yesterday."

Instead of looking like she was upset by his actions her facial expressions betrayed her true feelings. Those feelings were that she was excited to dish out the punishment.

She opened the door and dragged him into the van and took off successfully kidnapping him in broad daylight. No one paid any attention to it since this had been going on for the last 6 months while he has been working for her. It was a common sight.

"We have a job and you are coming with." She took of leaving a trail of dust.

They got back to the office and Ikumi pulled out a picture. "This is a lost dog that we were hired to find." She held up a picture of a border collie on a lost dog poster.

"You dragged me in here like a mad woman because you need help finding a lost dog?"

She walked up to him and got right in his face. "Do you have a problem with that?"

 _Damn she has a glare that rivals Unohana._ "No. No problem ma'am."

"Good. And cut the ma'am shit. Am I some old lady?"

"No of course not!" Ichigo, hero of winter war, one of the most powerful soul reapers in history, was shaking in his boots and fearing for his life because he called his boss ma'am. If only his soul reaper friends could see him now.

"Great. Now let's get going." She drags him off to the park where the dog had last been seen.

* * *

5 hours later

They were still wandering around the park and looking for the dog when the sun had set. Ikumi and Ichigo had split up to cover more ground in the park. Ikumi had caught sight of movement out of the corner of her eye and shot off after it.

She came behind a tree and found where the movement came from. There was a man in all black with an evil grin. He saw Ikumi and pulled out a knife. Ikumi had dealt with her fair share of delinquents but this was different.

"Give me your wallet." She was being robbed. She slowly reached in her pocket and pullet out her wallet and handed over her jewelry. (Which was just some earrings. She wasn't really a jewelry girl.) When she handed everything over the man just grinned at her.

"Too bad you've seen my face." He charged his hand up to make a stabbing motion at her and she closed her eyes. Everything that went through her mind in that instant was about her son. She was his whole world. He needed her. There was no way she could leave him alone. Then for a brief instant she thought about the one thing she never thought she would think of. Ichigo.

She heard a sound she would never forget. There was no way to describe it but she knew it was the sound of a knife cutting through flesh. The thing is she didn't feel any pain. Why didn't she feel any pain?

She opened her eyes hesitantly and saw orange. Ichigo was standing in front of her and had taken the knife in his abdomen. Yet somehow he was still standing. He cocked his right hand back and punched the assailant in the face. The look of surprise on his face at a boy being stabbed and acting like it was nothing showed. The thug went down instantly and Ichigo kicked him to make sure he was out.

Ichigo turned around and looked at Ikumi and she was surprised to see what she saw in his eyes. It wasn't pain. It wasn't fear. It wasn't anger. Of all things she saw in the 17 year old boy was relief.

"Thank god you are OK. I hurried as fast as I could when I saw what was going on."

She didn't say anything back. She was in shock. Not from almost dying or being saved, but from the fact that Ichigo was worried about her and making sure she was ok and the idiot still had a knife sticking out of his stomach!

"What the hell is wrong with you!? We need to get you to a hospital! I need to call the police!" She was running everything through her mind. How to get help, how to save the boy, what was she going to do? Then the most ridiculous thing happened. She heard laughing.

Ichigo was laughing and looking past her shoulder. She turned around to see what he was looking at and behind her, not 20 feet away was a border collie sitting in the park looking at them.

"Found him." Ichigo walked gingerly over to the dog and grabbed the leash. She just stood in amazement. Who the hell was this kid?

"Seriously we need to get you to a hospital."

Ichigo looked down at the stab wound and knife in an abdomen. He yanked it out and dropped it onto the ground. He placed his left hand on the wound to put pressure on it to stop the bleeding. "I will just head home. My dad has a clinic so he can patch me up. You can take the dog back to the office."

"Like hell I will! You are my employee and I am not leaving until I know you are OK." How big of an idiot is this kid. Did he know he could have died?

"Fine then follow me. I live this way." He walked off and she followed him. Both of them forgetting to call the police about the thug that had caused the whole incident.

* * *

They arrived at the clinic and Ichigo went to open the door and then froze. "Can you back up a little bit?" Ikumi who was still in a daze about what was going on just nodded and went along with it.

He opened the door and she saw a blur. "ICHIGOOOOO!" the man flew out and attacked Ichigo and punched him in the stomach. Ichigo bent over wincing in pain from his previous injury.

"What the hell dad?! Can't you see I am injured?!"

"Of course I can, I am a doctor. I punched you as a punishment for getting injured!" Ichigo's dad waved Ikumi in and they all went into the clinic.

Ichigo's dad started getting out his medical supplies. "Can I ask who you are and how my son knows such a lovely woman?" He turned to her and had a goofy grin on his face which caused an immediate reaction of punching the man in the face.

"My name is Ikumi and I am your son's boss and…" He listened intently with a bloody handkerchief sticking out of his nose as she went on to tell him everything that happened that night. It gave her time to process and truly understand it. Her mind needed to catch up to understand. Ichigo had saved her. What kind of idiot was he. He was only 17 years old and he had put his life on the line without a second thought, for her. Even before that though, why did she think of him when she was going to die?

"Well that sounds about right." Ichigo's dad went to stitch up the wound. "Off with the shirt." Ichigo pulled off his shirt so his dad could have access to the wound and she was in for yet another shock of her life. Not only did the 17 year old have a chiseled body that every woman looks for. Which would have been quite a shock and would have made her stare but that could be ignored and overlooked for the moment. What she saw made her pale and feel pity and fear. Covering the boy's torso were scars. Not small scars but wounds that look like each one should have been fatal.

She walked out of the room. She couldn't see that anymore. She found herself in Ichigo's living room sitting on the couch with the dog. The stupid dog. If the dog never ran away and got lost than Ichigo would never be hurt. If she wasn't stupid and ran off by herself he wouldn't be hurt either. What kind of pain could that kid endure? What has happened to him to cause that? All she could think about is the horrors he had to have seen for that to happen and she only added to it.

"Stop it." She startled and turned around. She saw Ichigo's dad had come into the room. "He's sleeping and will be fine….. So stop blaming yourself."

"How did you know?" She was confused on how this man she never met could read her so well.

"I just can. Plus, based on what you saw you should know Ichigo is an idiot that always runs into danger. This is nothing but another bump in the road to him."

"Where did he get them all? What happened to him?" She was a little worried about the kind of person she had hired based off what she saw. There were tears in her eyes as she looked up at the older man for answers.

"I don't think I can tell you that, and the scars you saw aren't even the worst. If he wants to tell you he can go ahead. Just so you know he is a good kid….. No that's not right. I don't think Ichigo's been a kid for a long time." The man sitting next to her had a far off look. "Don't worry about him though. He would never hurt anyone." He got up and went up the stairs. Before he made it to the top though he regained that goofy smirk and turned back to Ikumi. "Don't wait too long to give me some grandchildren third daughter!"

"What!" Ikumi turned to murder the man only to see him running away. A blush encroached on her face as she thought about it though. _No stop it. He is just a kid. He is ten years younger than you…. No. Even I can tell what that man said. Ichigo hasn't been a kid for a long time._

Luckily Kaoru was sleeping over at a friends that day. So she ended up just crashing on the couch in the living room.

* * *

Ikumi woke up and found a little girl poking her face. She was blonde and had an apron on. "Excuse me. Who are you?"

"Aren't you just the cutest thing!?" Ikumi hoped up and pulled the little girl into her bosom and hugged her tightly.

"Ikumi-san. Let Yuzu go so she can breathe." They turned around to see Ichigo standing in the doorway staring at them. "She is my boss from work and ended up staying over because we were out late working." Ichigo gave Ikumi a look that said the little girl didn't need to know.

"Ok I thought she was your girlfriend." Both of them blushed and it did not get past Ikumi. Maybe he did like her and think of her that way? But he was still a kid. She couldn't do that to him. She was his age when she got herself into this mess and there was no way she would drag him in because she had some crush on him.

She decided to get ahead of it. "Yeah right. I am an old lady. Some punk high schooler isn't going to go after me." She started laughing it off as a joke while she felt a small pang. She couldn't really fall for this brat could she? She got up to leave. "I should probably get going, but tomorrow is Monday and you will be back at work."

"Actually can I have tomorrow off?" Normally she would have said no but the guy did just get stabbed saving her.

"Sure that's fine I just have to bring the dog back but other than that we don't really have any other jobs coming up. See you on Tuesday then."

Ikumi walked out the door with the dog. "It's time for Ikumi to do her own jobs and find out who this boy is." She had a new determination and decided to turn private detective. She looked down at her phone. "I can't believe it's already the 16th. We are already over half way through June." She walked off to return the dog to it's owner.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 _Thoughts=Italics_

Ikumi took the dog back to the owners the next day. She was on her way back still trying to contemplate everything that had happened the other night. She had been saved by her assistant Ichigo from a mugger. He had been stabbed, but it didn't faze him because of what seems like a lot of experience in that area. Not only that but she felt something toward the kid. Was it just because he had saved her? Or was it more? She had never thought of him that way before since he was just some high school employee but when his dad made that idiotic comment the other night it got her thinking. And it's the only thing she could think about for the last 2 days.

None of that matters though until she finds out who this kid really is. If he is into something bad she would want to help, but with Kaoru she can't get involved.

She was mulling this all over when she walked by the river and saw the familiar mop of orange hair. _Ichigo?_ What was he doing here? He wanted off work and she thought it was to recover but if he is out why isn't he in his school uniform. Class just ended about 20 minutes went to walk up to him when she heard something she never thought she would hear from the teenager with the infinite scowl. Her hero. He was crying and it scared her. What made him cry? She was about to go up to him when she felt a hand on her shoulder and she spun around.

Standing behind her was a girl in a school uniform from the same school as Ichigo. She had short black hair and a tough look about her. She shook her head at Ikumi and tugged on her shoulder trying to quietly tell her to leave and walk away.

 _She is probably a friend of his and knows what's going on. This is the perfect opportunity to figure out what is up with him._

She followed the girl down the road to a café. They both ordered coffee and sat down at a table. "So, girl. Tell me who you are and why you stopped me." Ikumi was never one to beat around the bush.

The girl smiled a little. "Tatsuki Arisawa, and I am Ichigo's oldest friend. I have known him since he was 4." She said it with a smile like she was proud of that fact.

Ikumi was excited because the source of information she was looking for had come to her. This girl might know more about Ichigo than anyone. The weird thing is instead of feeling happy she felt more of a pang in her gut. Now, since Ikumi wasn't some helpless school girl who couldn't sort out her feelings she immediately jumped to the obvious conclusion. _Am I…. am I jealous?_

"So why did you stop me from talking to Ichigo, Tatsuki?"

"Because today is a bad day for him and he should be left alone."

"Why is that?" Ikumi was getting a lot more interested in this conversation.

"Look I know you are Ichigo's boss since I have seen you around so probably should know about this, but you can't tell him I was the one who told you."

Ikumi could tell this was no laughing matter and based off the mood Ichigo was in it must be something serious. She didn't say anything and gave the high schooler a look that said go on.

"Ichigo and I met when we were four. We were in the same karate class together. That brat was such a weakling." Tatsuki gave a quick smile and took a sip of her coffee. "He would come into class and face me and I would beat him until he was crying."

"That's great!" Ikumi was laughing so hard imagining Ichigo getting beat up and crying. "He was a little crybaby. Poor Ichigo getting picked on by girls."

"Hey! I am the second strongest girl in the country so it's not like it was just any girl." She paused until they were both done laughing about that. "Anyway Ichigo would cry and then at the end of class everyday his mom would show up. He would instantly stopped crying and have the dopiest grin on his face and go running to her. He was such a momma's boy."

This is when it hit Ikumi. This story wasn't about Ichigo. It was about how he was around his mom. She remembered when she was over at the clinic she only ever saw his dad and something in the pit of her stomach hit her. She knew where this story was going and she was dreading hearing the end of it.

"One day when he was nine it was raining out and she came to pick him up. On their way home Ichigo thought he saw someone down by the river."

 _Shit. The river he was sitting and crying at before._

"She ran after him to try and stop him but then something attacked him. No one knows what or who. All Ichigo remembers from is that when he woke up his mother's corpse was on top of him. From the reports it sounds like she protected him against whatever it was and saved his life." (Of course Tatsuki knows at this point it was a hollow but in the police reports it is assumed to be a mugger or attacker.)

"That was on June 17th 8 years ago. Every year on that day he skips school and their family visits her grave and then Ichigo just sits by the river. He still blames himself, that idiot."

Ikumi was just taking it all in. The horror this boy had to grow up through. Seeing his mother killed and blaming yourself. She knew why. She wasn't an idiot. He thinks it's his fault since he ran off.

Ikumi finally got the nerve to talk after the story. "What about all his scars? Did he get those from that night?"

"Scars? No he was relatively unhurt after that. He got those scars later, but that night his mom died is the reason why he has them. Everyone thinks Ichigo is some delinquent or a knight in shining armor. But it's neither. He is a guy haunted by the past and has sworn to never let anyone else die if he can help it. He gets in fights all the time, but it's always to protect someone. He doesn't care about himself anymore, only others."

That night came back to Ikumi. The boy had turned around and gave her look of relief that she was ok, but he wasn't at all worried about the fact that he had been stabbed. Every other one of those wounds was someone else he had saved. She was nobody special. Just another scar on his body.

"Thanks for conversation. I had been wondering about him. He seemed a bit different than the other kids."

Tatsuki almost laughed at this. "Do you like Ichigo?"

Ikumi was shocked. Her mouth went agape at such a question coming from a high schooler. "Wha…What are you talking about he is in high school. I am 10 years older than him and a mother at that!"

Tatsuki again looked up at the woman across from her and smiled. Being around Orihime so much she knew the signs of an Ichigo crush. That idiot goes around and saves all these women and doesn't realize the affect he has on them. "It's interesting that in that whole response you didn't deny it. You only came up with stupid excuses to not be with him." She paused for affect. "Ichigo stopped being a kid when he was 9. When his mom died he grew up quickly and raised his two younger sisters by himself." She scoffed a little. "I mean, have you met his dad?" She took another drink of coffee and looked out the window to the street. "Ichigo is more mature and grown up than almost any adult you will meet. And he is great with kids. If the only thing stopping you is age then you are an idiot. Plus the only time I see Ichigo smile anymore is when he is getting chased by you."

Tatsuki got up and walked out of the café leaving the stunned shop owner sitting there still staring at the place where the girl had been.

Ikumi sat there and mulled over her juniors words. It's true that age was a dumb excuse. Ichigo did act older and more mature than most people. Was she really this obvious?

 _I am not some love sick school girl. How can everyone else already see this when I didn't?_

She got up and walked back to the river. On her way over she thought about what he must have gone through. She thought back to when she got attacked. If she had died what would Kaoru do? She had only been 18 when she was pregnant with Kaoru and the father ran away scared. She had to raise the boy on her own. She was everything to him and if Ichigo hadnt saved her Kaoru would have ended up just like Ichigo. A permanent scowl on his face.

She got back to the river where Ichigo was. The girl that knew him his whole life knew to leave him alone. His friends and family knew to leave him alone. This is what he does every year. He sits and wallows in his pain and guilt all alone. And his friends and family are all idiots.

She walked up behind Ichigo and did the first thing that came to her mind. She grabbed Ichigo and turned him around and put her arms around him. She heard a gasp of surprise.

"Ikumi-san?" He tried to push free but she just held him closer.

"Shut up and just accept it kid." He stopped struggling and leaned into the embrace.

Ichigo sobbed into her shoulder for more than two hours by the side of the river. He escaped from her embrace and looked up at her. "Sorry about that. I think I ruined your shirt."

She looked at him with a smile.

Smack!

Ichigo looked up in shock at the woman who had embraced and comforted him for two hours only to turn around and slap him across the face. "What the hell was that for!?"

"For being an idiot!" Ichigo was taken aback. He was used to the angry Ikumi but this was on a different level. "You think I wouldn't do the same thing? I would have protect Kaoru without second thought! I know it sucks but she would be proud. You should tell her about how you saved and protected me. I am sure she would much rather hear about that than see you sitting and crying. So suck it up and keep going." He was staring at her with wide eyes. She was on the verge of tears too. Before anything could get any weirder between them she turned around and left. "I expect you to be at work tomorrow. And you better not be late." She went home leaving a speechless high schooler by the river.

After a minute Ichigo came to his senses and a small smile crept up on his face. "Your right. She would have liked you." There was no one around to hear him as he walked home with a one of the first real smile he has had since losing his powers.

He got to his house and walked up the stairs to his bedroom. The orange haired teenager didn't even notice his family sitting in the living room completely silent.

"Was Onii-chan smiling?" The blonde haired girl looked up at her dad with hope.

"Yes Yuzu. I think he was."

 **AN: I do really like this pairing. I never liked pairing Ichigo up with Orihime. I always thought that after everything Ichigo went through he needed someone more mature and understanding. Ichigo went through a war and lost his mother. He may still be young in age but I dont think he could ever have been paired with a high schooler living normal lives. It would have to be a soul reaper or Ikumi. I think she works because of the fact she has a son and has gone through hardships herself.**

 **Well I just figured I should share my thoughts on why I like this pairing. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and patiently wait for the next one! Thank you for your support R &R**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I have one question. Do I put lemons in this story or keep it relatively clean. I have never written a story before with lemons, but this story could work with it so I was wondering what you guys thought. Also I want to hear about your favorite Bleach pairings are. I have been reading a ton of bleach fanfiction recently and some of my favorites are obviously IkumixIchigo, UnohanaxIchigo, SoifonxIchigo, YoruichixIchigo, and NelxIchigo. Some of them are not very popular but I like it when characters end up with people that may not seem to match up but bond over something when they are so different. Let me know your thoughts or anything else you wish to add. R &R**

Ichigo woke up the next morning to a scream. "ICHIGOOOO!" his dad flew through the window and Ichigo's instincts kicked in and grabbed the man's ankle, spun him around, and sent him back out the window he came in. If he had listened closely to his father's retreating form he could have heard him yelling "GOOD JOB SON. I HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO TEACH YOU!" as he faded off in the distance.

Ichigo went down stairs to find Yuzu cooking breakfast. "Good morning Yuzu. What are you making?"

She spun around and looked at her brother. She was stunned. He was back to his usual self. He was still scowling but it was the normal one and not the one filled with pain and loss. She gathered herself up trying to not appear too shocked. "Just making some eggs. Are you going to have some before going to school?"

He smiled back at her. "Of course. Your food is the best." He roughed up her hair and went to set the table. She couldnt help but smile at his action. He set up 3 places around the table for breakfast.

"Onii-chan. Why didn't you set up 4 spots?" She was a little confused.

"I don't think goat-chin is going to make it back in time. So it will be the three of us."

She was about to question what he meant since she thought their father was just upstairs when Karin came down. "Ichi-nii. I am pretty sure that was a new record. I saw the pervert sailing off into the horizon." She wasn't admonishing him for what he did, it was more like she was praising him for the act.

That was all the answer Yuzu needed. They ate breakfast together and talked about school and the other type of activities going on in their lives. Karin talked about the football team and all the goals she was scoring. Yuzu talked about the arts and crafts she made in class. They had a great morning catching up.

Both girls shared looks to each other confused on what had brought about the new attitude from their brother but they were not going bring it up since they didn't want to ruin the atmosphere.

That is until Karin thinks she might have figured it out. "How is school going for you Ichi-nii? Any new girlfriends?"

Ichigo spit the milk out of his mouth flustered like always when people bring up the fact that he doesn't have a girlfriend. He was about to yell about how he didn't have a girlfriend when an image of Ikumi holding him popped into his head.

The girls noticed this pause that normally doesn't happen when they tease him about it. Yuzu's mouth hung open in shock while Karin could only smirk in victory.

The only thing Ichigo was trying to figure out was why Ikumi had come to his mind when Karin was talking about girlfriends.

He shook the thoughts out of his mind. "No. Now stop bugging me or I will have to start calling you mini-goat-chin." That wiped the smirk off Karin's face.

"You wouldn't dare! Comparing me to that pervert!" She went to kick her brother but he was up and out the door leaving the two girls in shock. Neither were sure if the shock was because of the attitude change or that they were sure he had a girlfriend. Either way he was back and that's all that mattered to them. But they did want to know who this mystery woman was.

* * *

Ichigo made his way to school and got there early since he ran out of the house quickly. Funny enough on his way to school he passed by an Isshin shaped hole in a concrete wall, but he didn't really notice it. He was too busy thinking about what had happened.

Everything that happened yesterday with Ikumi. She held him in her arms for hours. She had shown him a side of herself that he had never seen and she had seen something of him that was deeply personal. She had seen him at his worst and yet didn't back down, didn't hide, didn't leave him alone, and she slapped him. With that slap and a few words she was able to do more for him than anyone since he lost his powers. He smiled.

The only thing he couldn't figure out is was why it had worked. Was it because of what she said to him, or was because of who said it to him?

Ichigo was so lost in thought that he didn't realize he had made his way to class and sat down while in his haze. Everyone from his old friend group came into the room and were expecting to deal with a much worse Kurosaki than usual considering what day yesterday was. They did not expect to see him staring out the window with a smile on his face and it almost floored all of them. Well, not all of them. There was a certain girl with short black hair with a smile on her face.

 _I guess my plan worked. I figured that woman could get to him._

The first of the group to regain her composure was Orihime. "Good morning, Kurosaki-kun." She had greeted him like this every day and he had ignored her every time, and everyone was waiting for the same treatment, but when he turned to the group and smiled they couldn't help but be shocked.

"Hey, Inoue. How are you today?" Was this the same Ichigo?

She went into a long winded explanation about her morning and how she prepared her lunch for the day which made everyone's face green. The bell rang and they all sat down for class and everyone was thinking.

 _What happened to him?_

The rest of the school day went on normally and everyone was meeting up on the roof for lunch and they all wanted to discuss what was going on with Ichigo except another unexpected thing happened. The door opened to the roof and they saw Ichigo.

"Mind if I join you? Yuzu made me a lot of curry if you guys want any."

All he got was a bunch of nods from his old group of friends except for one.

Deciding his friend was really back he jumped up and rushed "ICHIGOOOO!" and Keigo was clotheslined and knocked unconscious for the rest of lunch.

* * *

Karin was working as an assistant coach to a grade school team during her free time. Today she was having trouble focusing on the kids and running them through their drills. She kept playing what had happened that morning over in her head. A girlfriend is the only answer.

"Ichigo. Who is your girlfriend?" She mumbled to herself.

"Kursoki-sensei we are done with practice." She jumped at the sudden appearance of the captain of the grade school team.

"Sorry about that I was spacing out. Tell everyone they can go back to the locker room Kaoru." The small boy left with a smile on his face wondering if his mom knew about this.

* * *

Everything else was normal for the rest of the day. Ichigo went to leave school and heard a commotion going on at the school entrance. There seemed to be a group of guys making a lot of noise. He went over to investigate.

"She's hot."

"What is a pretty thing like you doing here?"

"Why don't you come hang out with me and my friends, lady?"

Someone was being harassed and Ichigo was not going to stand for it. He broke through the group and saw who it was. It was his boss in her usual outfit of a long sleeve tee shirt, jeans, hat, and goggles. She was leaning against the wall by the entrance of the school effectively ignoring all the kids coming on to her. She opened her eyes and saw Ichigo in front of her.

She was about to say something to him when one of the guys in the group turned and saw him. "Back off Kurosaki! You already have Inoue. I have dibs on this chick. You can just scram." Without a second thought Ichigo's fist crashed into the man's face knocking him out cold. The sight of what was going on and the fact that his Ikumi was being treated as an object sickened him... His Ikumi?

Everyone else in the group who knew Ichigo backed up from him. Ichigo just silently grabbed onto Ikumi's arm and dragged her off campus. The two of them having very different thoughts going through their head.

Ichigo: _Why did I do that? I just lost it. It was like I felt anger when I saw him try to claim her. Am I jealous? I can't like her, can I? Even if I did there is no way she would notice me. I am just some kid. Her kid is closer to my age than her._

Ikumi: _Who is Inoue? Does Ichigo have a girlfriend? I'll kill her!_

Ikumi got a hold of herself and reversed his hold and grabbed onto Ichigo and threw him into her van. "Stop trying to man handle me asshole. We need to get to work. We have a job."

She drove all the way back to the office. Ichigo and Ikumi walked into the office to see the waiting client and Ichigo was not happy with what he saw. A beautiful woman sat in the chair smirking at the two that had just come in. She had dark smooth skin a mischievous grin and the telltale purple hair.

"Yoruichi?!" Ichigo exclaimed at the sight of her. What was she doing here?

"Oh Ichigo? I didn't know you worked here. I just came here to hire Miss Unagiya for something." Ichigo knew better than that. This was a plot within a scheme within a conspiracy that led to a certain blonde shop keeper. Yoruichi gave Ichigo a look that said she just wanted to gobble him up.

"Do you two know each other?" Ikumi feeling left out was now seething. She had already been trying to push out the stupid school girl thoughts of jealousy at the name of Inoue but now this beautiful woman was sitting here in front of her trying to seduce Ichigo. On top of that she didn't like how informal they were using each other's names without any honorifics.

"We are old friends." The sly woman said. "Ichigo, why do you seem so tense. There's nothing to worry about. I mean we have seen each other naked. What else is there to be tense about?" There it was. She dropped a bomb in the middle of that room and it went off just like she, Urahara, and Isshin planned.

"Alright lady. You need to leave. I don't deal with customers who harass my employee's. Find someone else to search for your lost cat!" She shoved the purple haired woman out the door.

* * *

Yoruichi walked around the corner and met with Isshin who was waiting. "Did it work?"

"I don't think you will have any problems. She pissed with me flirting with Ichigo. When I mentioned him seeing me naked it set her off. Even Ichigo would have to notice something is up at this point. _Operation: Third-Daughter-Ikumi_ is still on schedule."

* * *

Back in the office Ichigo was still trying to figure things out. _Why was Yoruichi even there? Why did Ikumi blow up on her like that? She is usually pretty calm. She was surrounded by teenagers hitting on her earlier today and didn't even notice till I acted out. Wait a second. I acted out against those guys because I was jealous. And Ikumi went after Yoruichi right after she mentioned her being nude…. No way. Wait did she say Yoruichi lost her cat? What are they planning?_

Ikumi was pacing around the room still angry at the woman who had the nerve to come in here and flirt with her Ichigo….. Her Ichigo? There was only one single ray of hope though this had brought. Ikumi had come to terms with her feelings for the orange haired teenager, never thought that he would think anything of someone like her, but this Yoruichi lady had looked older too. If she and Ichigo had something before that means something could happen between her and Ichigo. She still felt a pang of jealousy. Even she had to admit that the woman with purple hair had been a goddess.

"Hey Ichigo. Who was that woman?" She looked at him with a worried glance. Then Ichigo knew for sure. Ikumi felt something for him. He had seen that look in Orihime before. This was dangerous ground though. She had a kid. This was no high school crush. He would have to be certain about going into something like this. Before he actually did something about His feelings he decided he was going to have to talk to the expert.

"She was just an old martial arts instructor of mine. Nothing to worry about." The two finished up their work in relative silence.

* * *

Ichigo went home after they were done and on the way he pulled out his phone and dialed a number he normally never dials.

The line clicked "Ichigo? Why would you be calling me this late? This doesn't seem like you."

"I need some advice. And I think you are the only one that can help." The voice on the other end was quiet for a minute.

"Of course. I can meet you on your way to school and talk."

"Thanks. Mizuiro."

The line hung up. Miuiro turned over in his bed to the naked 25 year old swim suit model. "I wonder what he would need help with."


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Thanks for the support on this story. I do enjoy writing for this pair. I still haven't decided whether this story will have lemons or not. I also think I will mention the fullbringers but they will not play a role or anything in the story. If you have any suggestions or ideas for this story do not hesitate to leave a review or send a message. Thank you for reading.**

Ichigo woke up on later that week on Friday and got ready to go to school. He met up with Mizuiro on his way to school since Mizuiro was not able to meet up before then because he had been busy with his latest girlfriend.

Without even looking up from his phone Mizuiro noticed Ichigo's approach. "So what is going on? Is this about the math test coming up?" He didnt really seem interested. Who would be if you were busy texting your hot model girlfriend at the moment.

"No. This is about girls." That stopped Mizuiro. His friend Ichigo needed advice about girls. This is the same Ichigo that was swimming in as many girls as he was, but was ignorant and didn't even know all the attention he was getting. He closed his phone and put it away now that this was a serious conversation.

He gave Ichigo a smirk "Is this about girls in general or a specific girl?"

"It's a specific girl." Mizuiro was happy that his friend was finally getting back into it. He knew a little bit about the whole soul reaper thing and knew that Ichigo had been depressed since he lost his powers. He, like everyone else noticed that Ichigo had changed a little recently and seemed happy. It must be because of this girl.

"Why did you come to me though? You have many friends that could help you with this." Ichigo was silent for a minute while the two walked to school. He was trying to figure out how much to tell his friend since this could be serious problem if it got out.

"Its not like I could talk to Uryu. Chad just doesn't really seem like the one for advice about girls. Then there is Keigo. Do I even need to say his reaction? Other than that I can't talk to Orihime since she is in love with me. And it would just be weird to talk to Tatsuki. And, well the reason I ask you is that the person I like is….. older."

Mizuiro couldn't contain his smirk. "Is Ichigo joining me in a love for milfs?" He couldn't help but tease his friend.

Ichigo blushed and looked away from the teasing gaze of his scrawny friend. "No. Just a specific one."

Finally containing his joy at this complete turnabout in his friend he devoted himself to helping him. Plus this would be fun to watch.

"Does the fact that she is older bother you?"

"No of course not." He thought about the time that he had a crush on Rukia. She was 150 years older than him so of course age doesn't mean anything.

"Then don't think about it. Just because she is older doesn't mean you need to do anything different than what you would do for a person our age." It made sense to Ichigo but it still worried him. "But there is one difference. I don't think it is a problem with you considering your personality but the difference between high school girls and older women is that if they are in a relationship it is usually serious. If you truly care about this girl and it's not a fling there will be no problem."

"Thanks Mizuiro." Ichigo smiled at his friend. Ikumi wouldn't be a conquest to him but someone he really cared about. With having a son and being a single mother she would be more guarded. Plus Ichigo had no idea about what the situation was with Kaoru's father.

The two of them arrived at school and greeted everyone. People thought it was weird that Mizuiro and Ichigo showed up to school together and everyone thought it was weird, but ignored it.

* * *

At the end of the day Ichigo was walking out of school with Keigo and Mizuiro when Mizuiro saw Ichigo flinch and blush. Mizuiro followed Ichigo's gaze and saw the angry gaze of Ichigo's boss directed their way. He knew instantly that Ikumi was the woman that Ichigo was interested in. Ichigo really knew how to pick them.

Mizuiro also noticed something that no one else did either. Everyone knew of Ikumi's anger and so they tried to avoid her gaze and after the incident the other day she was left alone, but Mizuiro looked closer and saw what he could only describe as a light blush on the woman's face. She felt the heat of Ichigo's surprised gaze and Mizuiro could only smile. _This really could get interesting._

Ikumi walked up and dragged Ichigo, had frozen in place, into the van. "Let's go kid we have a job that is going to take all weekend!"

"What!? All weekend?"

"Don't worry about it. I already contacted your dad and told him you wouldn't be home and that you are working with me for the weekend. He agreed." She kept her eyes on the road while driving but the blush on her face grew as she thought about the conversation she had over the phone with the boy's father. When she told him that Ichigo and her would be gone for the weekend he had said some things in a very excited tone about hoping for grandkids. She didn't want to mention it to the boy. Ichigo noticed the look on her face.

"The old man said something perverted didn't he? Don't worry I will beat him up for you when I get back." He had no problem beating up his old man for this but he couldn't feel angry at the moment. All he could think about was the fact he was going away for the weekend with Ikumi. Alone. It made him excited at the idea. "Wait. What about Kaoru?"

"Don't worry about him he is staying with a friend for the weekend."

She was a little nervous about what she would do this weekend. She was going to be alone for a while with Ichigo and with how she has been feeling she is not sure she will be able to control herself. There was something about him that drew her to him.

She thought back to what her son had mentioned before she left.

* * *

 _Flashback_

Ikumi got off the phone with the customer who seemed a little strange when her son walked in the door. "Hey Kaoru sweetie. Mommy is going to be away for the weekend working. Can you stay at a friend's?" She used her sweet mother voice while wearing her signature apron.

"Sure! Just make sure Ichigo doesn't do anything weird. He may have a girlfriend but he seems like the kind of guy who still might try."

Ikumi froze. Ichigo has a girlfriend? Of course he does. He is handsome, sweet, and courageous. Why wouldn't he have one? Her heart sank.

"Kaoru, where did you hear that?" She was hoping it was just a rumor.

"His little sister is my assistant coach and I heard her talking about it." She was excited about the prospect of being close to the teenager for the weekend but if he had a girlfriend it would make it hard.

 _End Flashback_

* * *

She was getting close to the shop when her flashback was over. She was worried about what would happen. She came to terms with her feelings for the boy, but if he was taken she couldn't get in the way. This would make this weekend long and awkward instead of a chance for them.

She pulled up to the store and got out dragging the boy out of the car. _Maybe I should stop being so violent with him? Would that make him like me?_

"No….. no way." She looked over at the boy who just had fear in his eyes. He was staring at the store they drove up to.

"Yare, yare… Good to see you again Kurosaki-san, Ikumi-san. Thanks for taking care of the store for me. Make use of the rooms while staying overnight. I wouldn't want anyone breaking in and stealing anything." The man tossed the keys to Ikumi and walked away. He walked away wearing his normal, weird get up of green head to toes with a hat and wearing clogs on his feet. He also carried a black cat as he left the shop to them.

Ikumi looked up at the sign of the store they were now in charge of for the weekend. "Urahara Shoten. Well that is a weird name for a candy store but everyone thinks we sell eels."

Now in Ichigo's head he was lost. _What the hell are they planning? Is something going on? Is the world in danger? Or worse….. Is Urahara bored? Yoruichi had come in earlier this week and now this happens._

While Ichigo was spacing out trying to figure out what Urahara's evil plot is Ikumi was dragging him into the store to get acquainted.

* * *

Meanwhile when Urahara got out of range from the store he pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. "They have arrived and the next phase has begun." He hung up the phone without an answer and went to a hotel he had booked for the weekend.

Isshin hung up the phone while sitting in the kitchen. He sat at the table smiling a devious smile and muttering something about grand-kids while his daughters watched from the living room worried about how he was acting.

* * *

Ikumi was all business trying to familiarize herself with the store. Since Ichigo knew everything about it he went and dropped off his belongings in the room. He opened up the drawer in the dresser to put his clothes in when he found a box of condoms with a note.

 _Use them wisely son._

 _P.S. I'd rather you didn't since I want grandkids_

"Perverted old man." He shut the drawer.

Was this whole thing planned by his dad? Why would he try to be getting him together with Ikumi? Not that he minded being alone with her all weekend. It would give him a chance to make a move. The only thing that bugged him was the people who were involved with setting this up. They wouldn't simply stop at giving them alone time and a pack of condoms. There would be more. Much more. And that scared him.

"Ichigo! Get out here and help open up!" Ichigo went to the store area and unlocked the doors for the store. The weird thing that started going through Ichigo's mind though was the fact he had never seen actual customers come to this store before.

* * *

After about an hour of working in the store and making sure everything was stocked correctly and dealing with a few children that did actually come in to buy candy. Then a group that Ichigo wished never showed up walked through the door.

Tatsuki, Orihime, Keigo, and Mizuiro.

All four of them stopped when they saw Ichigo, but only two of them gave a knowing smirk when they saw Ikumi.

"Kurosaki-kun! What are you doing here?" Orihime walked up with a smile from the surprise.

"The odd jobs shop got hired to work for the weekend while hat and clogs is out of town." The two of them kept talking about school and other things while Mizuiro walked up to Ikumi.

"Hi. I am Mizuiro one of Ichigo's friends." He smiled at her. He could tell she was distracted and kept looking over to Ichigo and Orihime.

"Do you guys go to school with him?" She was only half-heartedly in this conversation.

 _Who is that girl? Is that his girlfriend? Who does she think she is? My boobs are way better than hers._

"Yes we are all friends from school."

"Is that Ichigo's girlfriend?" The woman asked the small boy hesitantly.

He couldn't help but smile at her attitude. She was jealous of Orihime.

"No. Ichigo doesn't have a girlfriend." This came from the girl with short spikey hair that Ikumi had talked to earlier. The group looked over after a loud scream and saw Keigo unconscious on the floor with Ichigo glaring at him. They all shrugged and ignored it.

"I thought he had a girlfriend."

"Why would you think that?" Tatsuki responded.

"Well my son is on the football team at school and one of Ichigo's sisters, who is the assistant coach, said that he had a girlfriend." She was doing a bad job at hiding her nervousness.

Tatsuki who had actually been questioned by the young Kurosaki since she was sort of a role model for her about the affair knew actually what had happened. She started laughing.

"Actually, Karin talked to me about this earlier this week too. She said she thought Ichigo had a girlfriend. She said that Ichigo came home last Monday with a smile on his face and he seemed happy for the first time in over a year." She gave the woman a look that said she knew all. "I wonder what could have happened on Monday to make Ichigo so happy." She walked away with Mizuiro laughing they were joined by Keigo and Orihime as they left the store.

A new hope swept over her. No girlfriend and he had been happier since that night. Maybe he did feel the same way.

This weekend could be interesting after all.

* * *

Around the corner the group of friends all looked at each other.

Finally it was Tatsuki who spoke. "Do you think those two knew that Yoruichi was in there watching them the whole time?"

"It didn't seem like it. Ichigo still can't see spirits and she was in her spirit form. I wonder what's going on." Orihime was completely oblivious to the plan.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: The fifth chapter is now complete. I really don't know where I am going with this or where it will end up but I hope you are all enjoying it as much as I am writing it. Thank you for continuing to read.**

The store was closed up a few hours later when the business died down. "Well that wasn't so bad. I thought it would be worse but it was pretty easy to figure out how the store worked." Ikumi was locking the doors while Ichigo put the stock away.

"You are right." Inside Ichigo's head all he could think about was that something was going to happen now. Yoruichi, Kisuke, and his dad were planning something and this is when it would begin.

"I am going to go make dinner. The owner said he was going to leave supplies for dinner." Ichigo immediately got worried. What would he leave? Ichigo was trying to prepare for anything, but there was no out thinking that man. Even Aizen couldn't do it.

"I am going to go use the shower first then." He left Ikumi and walked down the hall and into the bathroom. He was worried about the adult's plans but he was not exactly against them. He did have feelings for his boss. He just needed to figure out a plan to get it done. After her reaction to Yoruichi he was fairly sure that she felt that way. Then there was the day where she held him. That wasn't like her at all. There was definitely something there between the two of them.

He got out of the shower thinking that he sure hurry up since dinner would probably be ready soon.

"Shit, forgot my clothes." He wrapped his towel around his waist and opened the door to go to his room only to find Ikumi standing in front of him looking like she was about to knock on the door.

Her eyes went wide. Ichigo was standing there in nothing but a towel. She looked at him and saw all of his scars again including the one from the mugger. It was a shock but what really caught her eye was how sculpted he was. She hadn't paid much attention to it before but his chest and abs were chiseled out of marble. The blood rushed to her face as she stared.

Ichigo couldn't help but smile at her reaction. "Stare any longer and I may have to charge you." His Inner Yoruichi was coming out.

She came out of her daze and averted her gaze. "Sorry, I was just telling you dinner is ready." She took off down the hall looking embarrassed with an extremely red complexion. Ichigo chuckled to himself on that reaction. At least that solved any worries about how she felt.

"I am starting to feel like I understand why Yoruichi found this fun." He went to his room to change into some clothes.

If he had been spiritually aware at the time he would have found the goddess he mentioned rolling on the floor trying to hold her stomach because all the laughing she was doing was actually causing her pain.

Ichigo got to the kitchen to find a small table that had two plates of curry sitting on it. Ikumi was sitting in one of the chairs waiting for him.

She noticed his entrance. "I hope you like curry. I may be a mother but I don't know how to cook much of anything."

Ichigo could see that she was clearly still embarrassed from earlier. It made him a little proud that he had this kind of effect on a woman like her. "It's alright. I am a terrible cook so anything you make would be better than what I what I would make. My little sister Yuzu is the cook at our house."

As he sat down the lights to the store cut out. The whole room went dark and nothing was working.

Ikumi got up from the table. "I guess the power went out. Let's look for some candles or flash lights."

Ichigo was suspicious but got up and opened some of the cupboards in the kitchen and when he opened the 3rd one he found evidence to prove who the people were behind this were.

In this cupboard were two of the most romantic looking candles with a note.

 _Ichigo, this is in case something happens to the power. Enjoy dinner!_

 _Dad._

Could he be any more obvious? He grabbed the candles and matches with them. "Ikumi, I found some candles." He set them on the table and lit them using the matches. She looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Are you trying to turn this into a date, Ichigo?" She said it with a look that said she was kind of hoping he was while still trying to hide the fact she was hoping he was. He decided to tell her.

"I am not, but I think someone is." Now she was just confused.

"What are you talking about?" He handed her the note that was he found with the candles. She just started laughing. She knew all about his father's personality. She could that eccentric doing something like this.

"I have been trying to figure it out for a while." They both sat down and starting to eat their food before it got cold. The feeling they got from eating in the candle light definitely brought about an intimacy that they hadn't had before.

"What do you mean you have been wondering for a while?" She continued eating while raising her eyebrow once more in his direction.

"Well, the thing is my dad, Yoruichi, and Urahara are all friends. And when they get together they are planning something. So when I saw Yoruichi the other day I was sure they were up to something. Then we got here and I knew it was going to happen this weekend. It seems they are turning this into a romantic weekend for us." She looked at him shocked. At first she scowled at the name of the purple haired girl that brought out her ugly side. That woman urked her even though she only met her that one time. Also to think his dad had planned all of this. He must have seen something in her that made him do all of this. She didn't think she was that obvious at the start.

"Just because of some candles you think it's a romantic weekend for us. You really think that they would do all of this?" She was sure she already knew the answer and she was hoping she would be able to thank his father later for all of this.

"Well the candles are definitely a hint, but I won't tell you what the note that came with the box of condoms in my room said." At that she spat out the wine she had been drinking.

"What! He left condoms? He really has high expectations." She took another drink from the cup trying to hide the embarrassment. Trying to keep her composure. She kept trying to act like this was just a funny joke in hopes that she wouldn't ruin anything before knowing. She needed him to make the move.

Meanwhile Ichigo looked at her and saw the embarrassment she failed at hiding and the look she had in her eyes. Ichigo didn't want to have an awkward weekend with his boss so he decided that the best thing to do was to get it out in the open.

"Yes, my dad really is a pervert since he left condoms. To think he assumed that we would just have sex. He probably set all this up because he noticed how much happier I have been since the night by the river. He probably assumed that it was because of you and that I fell in love with you." Ikumi had frozen halfway during a bite of food. She was surprised at what he was saying. Is he saying his dad was wrong?

She snapped out of it. "Oh really why would he think something like that?"

He could see the worry written all over her face. This woman who sat across from him always seemed so tough to him, but Ichigo knew better. He knew that the only way to get that way was to go through the pain of loss. She had the same look in her eyes as he always did. He could see the fear of being hurt. The way she kept people at a distance to protect herself and her family.

"Probably because he was right." Her eyes nearly popped out of her head as she looked up to the boy sitting across from her. He smiled back. It wasn't a mischievous smirk or a goofy grin, but a warm smile that invited her in.

She couldn't believe it. Was this really happening? She hadn't felt anything since Kaoru's dad. There had been no one and now in less than a week this punk kid has taken her heart and offered his.

"Are….Are you saying you love me? Why would a brat like you like some old lady like me?"

That smile never left his face. "Why wouldn't I? You are a strong, beautiful, and intelligent woman. You are an amazing mother while still able to be a tough boss and take care of everyone. How could I not?"

She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She could only watch as the boy got out of his chair and walked over to her and leaned down. She closed her eyes and felt his hand cup the side of her face. She leaned into it. She felt the titles and roles she held fall away. Right now she was not a boss. She was not a mother. She was a woman. A woman that wanted to be kissed.

His lips connected with hers. It was a feeling she hadn't felt in years but she welcomed it and returned it all the same. Warmth spread through both of them. Both of their hopes had come to fruition.

Unknown to them a figure that had been standing in the corner had smiled and decided she had seen enough and left the building wishing them luck. (She was also a little upset since she had plans for the whole weekend if they continued to be that dense and she was looking forward to using them.)

When they broke a part Ikumi found herself standing and being embraced by Ichigo. She didn't remember standing but really didn't care. She let her head rest into the crook of his neck while he held her close.

"You know many people would look at this and say this was wrong."

"I don't care."

"I have a kid."

"I know."

"I am your boss."

"Does this mean I get a raise?" She smacked him in the back of the head. The both chuckled a little.

"Look. I am not a school girl. I need to know this isn't a crush. That this is serious." Ikumi was shaking. Her nerves were getting the better of her. This wasn't her. She was the strong confident single mother that could face anything without flinching. In less than a week Ichigo had turned her into a nervous school girl.

"Of course it is." She couldn't think of any other reason to hold back. She was of course worried. The last love she had was ten years ago and he was the same age Ichigo is now and he had abandoned her to raise a kid on her own. But that was then and he wasn't Ichigo. No more holding back.

She pulled away from his embrace slightly and grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him in and kissed him.


End file.
